CSG135

Unit 12

The Passive loice and Passive Constrnctions

In English and Spanish we use both the active and the passive voices to describe actions and events. In the active voice, the sub-ject of the sentence performs the actions. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence receives the action. An agent accomplishes the action in the passive voice. If the agent is expressed, it is intro-duced with the preposition by in English and with the preposition por in Spanish.

Los mecanicos repararon The mechanics repaired the el auto.    car.

(active voice, subject: los mecanicos)

El auto fue reparado por The car was fixed by two

dos mecanicos.    mechanics.

(passive voice, subject: el auto; agent: dos mecanicos)

Think of the passive verb form fue reparado as an action per-formed upon the subject. The car wasfixed by the agent, in this case two mechanics. Remember that in the passive voice the agent does not need to be named.

Los votos fueron contados. The votes were counted.

In English, grammar texts and computerized grammar checkers advise against the overuse of the passive voice. Its use is recom-mended in two types of situations: to express an action whose subject is unknown or when it is tactful or advantageous not to make the subject known. Notę that the agent is omitted in the following two examples:

The books were delivered yesterday.

Bad iaste was shown in this decision.

In the first sentence, who delivered the books is probably not known or irrelevant. In the second, the speaker has chosen not to disclose who had bad taste.

Copyright © 2004 by Giida Nissenberg. Ciick here for terms of use.

124